ANDY FLOWER MAKES HISTORY

Brandon Moyo

Sports Reporter

FORMER Zimbabwe captain Andy Flower has made history with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.

When his team was struggling earlier in the season, Flower made a defiant call:

“You need a lot of courage to face adversity and turn tough situations around and that is what I expect from everyone in the dressing room.”

The RCB had suffered six consecutive defeats.

They had managed only one victory out of their eight opening matches.

But RCB found a way to fight back with great contributions from the likes of Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Glenn Maxwell and Faf Du Plessis.

They have won six games on the trot to proceed to the play-offs of the 2024 IPL.

Flower has solidified his status as one of the most elite minds of the game as RCB have become the first team in IPL history to make the playoffs after managing just one win in their first eight games.

They sealed their qualification into the playoffs on Saturday after registering a 27-run win over Chennai Super Kings in Bengaluru.

Flower and his charges have joined table toppers, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the playoffs.

“Never count RCB out. What a turnaround! What a performance! Let’s go get that title now,” wrote club and South African legend, AB De Villiers.

For Flower, managing to send RCB into the playoffs after the worst possible start to his campaign, was more proof of his qualities as a gaffer.

In franchise cricket, his records speak for themselves.

Some of his achievements as head coach in T20 leagues include finishing as finalist in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL, 2020), reaching the eliminator in the 2020 Pakistan Super League (PSL), winning 2021 PSL, reaching The Hundred eliminator in 2021 and finishing as the finalist in the 2021 CPL.